French NATO jets shoot down stray drone in Latvia

PARIS

French NATO jets stationed in the Baltic states shot down a drone in Latvia, the military and the country’s foreign minister confirmed on June 8.

The incident was the first time that the alliance’s rapid reaction Baltic Air Policing mission has shot down a stray drone in Latvia.

Latvia’s military confirmed that “a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare,” without disclosing the origin of the drone.

“Thank you, our French Allies, for taking down the drone that flew into Latvian airspace!” Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze posted on X.

The two jets took off from the Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania and shot down the drone “at around 10 a.m.” local time, Lithuanian military spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis told AFP.

In a previous incident, a Romanian jet stationed in Lithuania shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19.

Ukrainian drones have previously crashed in all three Baltic states, which are all NATO and EU members, with local officials saying they veered off course due to Russian electronic warfare measures.

A Ukrainian drone flying towards the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on May 20 prompted the country’s authorities to issue an air alert warning to the general population for the first time, with residents and leaders heading to bomb shelters.

Meanwhile, a drone crashed and exploded in eastern Moldova without causing injuries, authorities said on June 8.

The crash came after EU and NATO member Romania, which lies next to Moldova and also shares a border with Ukraine, had two drones explode on its territory in the last two weeks.